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Richard "Rick" O'Connell
Richard O’Connell was a former Corporal of the French Foreign Legion, husband to Evelyn Carnahan née O’Connell and father of Alexander O’Connell. A brave and intimidating man with excellent gun skills, as well as experience in personal combat, O’Connell was also a dedicated father in his later years, completely devoted to his family. Biography: Childhood O’Connell was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in an orphanage in Cairo. While there, the young boy was given a mysterious tattoo on his right wrist, and was unknowingly marked as a Medjai: a member of the cult of warriors who dedicated themselves to guarding Hamunaptura, the ancient Egyptian City of the Dead. Unaware of the meaning of this symbol, Rick would take care to disguise it for many years afterward. Criminal O'Connell had many exploits in his past that led to trouble later on: at least one known act involved a "bank job" in Marrakesh with his friend Izzy Buttons as an accomplice: Izzy was meant to fly low in his plane and hide while O'Connell would signal his friend to come in for the pickup; as Izzy was caught and shot, O'Connell nonchalantly walked up with a belly dancer girl at his side. This would be one case which Izzy Buttons cited as his reason for not wanting to work with O'Connell. Legionnaire days In 1923, O'Connell was an American recruit in the French Foreign Legion, along with Beni Gabor, who claimed to be his friend, sticking close only for protection. O'Connell revealed to Beni at that point the real reason for which he had joined the Legion: in Paris some time ago, O'Connell had met a young lady and was looking for a way to impress her. In the battle of Hamunaptura, Corporal O’Connell acted as Colonel after Colonel Guizot abandoned his post in fear. But he was eventually overcome by the sheer number of Tuareg and retreated deep into the ruins, where Gabor had scrambled into a stone doorway and closed the heavy stone door before Rick could make it. When the pursuit ended with O’Connell trapped in front of a half-buried statue of the Egyptian God Anubis, Rick surrendered and braced himself for death. At the moment that the Tuaregs were about to open fire, their horses went into a wild panic, and the desert people were compelled to retreat. Unable to believe his luck, Rick O’Connell was suddenly forced for an unknown reason to rush out of the ruins and into the open desert, where he noticed a group of mysterious desert people watching him from afar. Imprisoned Once O'Connell had made it back to civilisation, he had been captured by the law and sent to Cairo Prison, ostensibly under the charge of deserting his post in the French Foreign Legion. In Cairo Prison, O'Connell had met the prison warden, Gad Hassan, who O'Connell despised and spared no chance at making things difficult for the Warden. O'Connell, now behind bars, was soon after visited by Evelyn and Jonathan Carnahan, who had come to ask of a small puzzle-box that O'Connell had found while at Hamanaptra. O'Connell eyed Evelyn with some interest, and divulged the story of how he had found the box: he had been at the city when he found it, and recognised Jonathan as the man that picked his pocket and took the puzzle-box from him. Jonathan was thus punched hard in the face by O'Connell, and asked by Evelyn if he remembered the way back to the ruins, so that he might take her there: O'Connell beckoned for her to come closer so that he could whisper through the bars, but grabbed hold of her and kissed her, telling her to get him out of prison. At that moment, the guards in the cell seized the American and beat him, taking him away as they did. The warden stepped on the scene and revealed to Evelyn and her brother that the guards were taking him away to be hanged. Evelyn attended the hanging, despite the warden's disapproval, and tried to barter for O'Connell's freedom as the guards tied the ropes around O'Connell's neck. As the rope was being tied, the hangman asked O'Connell harshly if he had any last requests: O'Connell replied to the hangman that he loosen the knot and let him go. The hangman called out the request to the warden, who sat watching from his seat, and who shouted back that he would not be let go. The execution was continued as Evelyn offered more money to the warden, who would hear none of it, and who laughed loud as O'Connell fell down the scaffold, his neck not breaking when he fell. Now strangling, O'Connell watched as Evelyn bid more money to the warden, and finally revealed that O'Connell knew where Hamanaptra was located. The warden did not believe this at first, but was soon coaxed to release O'Connell as he was offered twenty-five percent of the profits made from the ruins' discovery. At Giza Port Given twenty pounds to clean himself up, O'Connell had showered, shaved, and had a haircut, travelling to Giza Port to meet the Carnahans. Evelyn suspected that O'Connell would take the money only to spend it all in some bar, and even expressed her disapproval of him; being surprised when he showed up at the ports a new man: shaven and clean. Jonathan stepped forward and patted O'Connell in affection, O'Connell promptly running his hand inside his jacket where Jonathan had patted him to ensure that Jonathan was not pick-pocketing him; Jonathan stated that he was not and that he would never steal from a partner. Evelyn then stepped forward and asked O'Connell to look her in the eye and promise her that he was not conning her out of her money, but O'Connell made it clear that he was cheating no one, as his former garrison believed in Hamanaptra so much that they, without orders, marched through Libya to find the city, finding only death instead. Taking his charges' bags, he sullenly walked into the boat. At that moment, another man stepped forward: Warden Hassan, who had stated that he was coming along on the expedition so as to protect his investment. Warden Hassan casually told O'Connell that there be no hard feelings, with O'Connell sourly replying that if the Warden ever needed a necktie, all he had to do was to ask. Aboard the Boat With the four expeditionaries now aboard the riverboat Sudan, the mission continued as the group would travel one day by boat and two by camel. Sharing a dining table with others including a pair of missionaries, a group of big-game hunters, and commercial travellers, O'Connell and his fellows spoke not of their goal to anyone else. Dinner arrived, and O'Connell greedily devoured his food almost without tasting it, as Jonathan sat astonished at O'Connell's appetite, remarking that he was eating everything but the tablecloth. O'Connell replied that it was a wise move as they would not be dining the same way in the desert. Jonathan considered the notion and began eating the same way. After dinner, O'Connell found Jonathan at a table on deck, playing poker with three Americans; the Americans asked O'Connell if his goal was really to find Hamanaptra as Jonathan had said. O'Connell confirmed it, and subsequently placed a wager with the Americans for five hundred dollars. That night, O'Connell met with Evelyn, who derided the idea of evil being beneath the sands in Hamanaptra, and who was still somewhat resentful of the forced kiss back in the prison. After revealing that he was about to be hanged and that it seemed like a good idea at the time, Evelyn crossly stormed off. O'Connell then heard a familiar voice tittering: Beni Gabor, the Legionnaire that had almost seen him dead. O'Connell learned that Beni was leading the Americans through the desert to find Hamanaptra, and that Beni would have been as quick to leave his employers to die in the desert. Appearance and Traits Richard O'Connell was, if anything, a man of action that believed in shooting first and asking questions later, being curt and brash when he needed to be. Although O'Connell acted with bravado in most situations, he was not incapable of pathos and sympathy, having fallen in love with and marrying Evelyn Carnahan, and fathering a son with her, considering his family to be the most important thing in his life. Along with his prowess in firearms, O'Connell also knew how to defend himself unarmed and knew how to improvise when in a perilous situation. Tall, with brown hair and blue eyes, Richard O'Connell was usually seen wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and tan chinos, along with brown boots, belt and holster when he was on expeditions; this outfit was accompanied sometimes by a blue kerchief and any number of firearms and blade. Behind the Scenes Rick O'Connell was portrayed by actor Brendan Fraser. Category:characters O'Connell,Rick O'Connell,Rick O'Connell Rick